FROM EIR DAILY ALERT

China Announces Deal for Construction of Hyperloop Test Track

July 23, 2018 (EIRNS)—The Guiyang Technological Development Zone has announced its intent to build a test track for the still largely experimental “hyperloop” magnetically levitated evacuated tube transportation system. For this venture, China has partnered with Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, a “crowd-sourced” company, meaning that engineers and designers the world over will be contributing to the project.

To be built in the remote prefecture of Tongren, Guizhou Province, the small, 10 km route is clearly experimental, since it is not even long enough to reach the top speeds that the technology is theoretically capable of, and not connected to any urban areas. The location was reportedly chosen for its varied topology, thus allowing for all aspects of the technology to be developed.

HyperloopTT chairman Bibop Gresta told Railway Technology that,

“China leads the world in the amount of high-speed rail constructed by far, and now they are looking for a more efficient high-speed solution in hyperloop. We have spent the past few years finding the right partners to work with in China, now with a strong base network of relationships in place, we are ready to begin work to create the system along with the proper legal framework for the nation.”

CEO Dirk Ahlborn was almost ecstatic, stating: “China spends over $300 billion annually on infrastructure to address their rapidly growing urban populations. We envision that Hyperloop will play into a bigger role of the Silk Road Economic Belt, connecting the region to the rest of the world.”

“Guizhou’s location is a crucial part of China’s ‘Silk Road Economic Belt’ initiative. More than $100 billion has been invested in transportation and financing in the past five years, which has result in 69 highway projects and more than 3,542 miles of new roads.”

The involvement of China in backing this technology means that it might actually get built, unlike the largely speculative ventures such as Hyperloop One, recently taken over by British operative Richard Branson.